Sweet potato harvest conditions in Louisiana have been more cooperative in 2007 than in 2006, when late season rains caused several acres to go unharvested.
And though the acreage is down slightly – 15,000 acres compared to 16,000 acres – the yields should compensate, according to Tara Smith, LSU AgCenter sweet potato specialist headquartered at the
Sweet Potato Research Station in Chase, La.
“Producers in general are pleased with the 2007 crop,” Smith said.
Because of last year’s weather problems, several producers increased harvesting capacity with additional harvesters and hand laborers, Smith said.
The production year started off on a positive note. Soil moisture and temperatures were ideal for planting in May and June. As a result, the majority of the crop was planted by June 15.
“We experienced an unusually wet July across the state, with most production areas receiving 10-12 inches of rainfall in July,” Smith said. “The excess moisture contributed to delayed maturity, and harvest began a couple of weeks later than expected because early plantings were slower to size than normal.”
Myrl Sistrunk, LSU AgCenter county agent in West Carroll Parish, which was the leading sweet potato producing parish in 2006 with 6,500 acres yielding on average 300 bushels per acre, said the weather has cooperated well for the harvest compared to last year’s weather problems.
In 2006, sweet potato production contributed more than $100 million to Louisiana’s economy, according to figures in the LSU AgCenter’s Ag Summary.
Smith said insect pests have been a problem in 2007 – especially cucumber beetles.
“Producers in north Louisiana experienced heavier populations of this insect than they had in recent years, and most were scouting and spraying weekly,” Smith said. In addition, several producers in south Louisiana reported significant pockets of white grub damage on a few early-planted acres.
A new variety, Evangeline, released by the LSU AgCenter in early 2007, was planted in small plots on several farms this year. In addition, several acres of Evangeline seed were planted at the Sweet Potato Station in 2007, and many Louisiana producers will have an opportunity to evaluate the variety on a limited commercial scale in 2008.
Mary Ann Van Osdell
(This article was published in the fall 2007 issue of Louisiana Agriculture.)
